A third quarry proposed

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A third quarry is proposed for Rosewill, which could add to heavy truck movements that are already upsetting residents in the area.

O'Neill Earthworks has applied for a land-use consent to quarry bluestone from Ben Johnson's property in Spur Rd. The application has been notified, with a hearing due to be held on March 18.

Disgruntled residents have complained about the heavy vehicle traffic, dust and disruption in the area of Rolling Ridges Rd since last July, as heavy vehicle trips by Rooney Earthmoving increased from three a day to nearly 30.

Rooney Earthmoving has since been given a temporary resource consent until April 25 to take 42,000 cubic metres of clay from its Rolling Ridges Rd quarry, with 96 vehicle movements allowed a day to the oxidation ponds which require the clay.

According to the O'Neill application, the new quarry will be accessed via Brockley Rd, with a maximum of 20 heavy vehicle movements per day.

"The days of operation will be limited to the hours of 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and occasionally some works may occur between the hours of 7am to 1pm on Saturday.

"At the peak there would be up to 20 heavy vehicle movements to and from the site [10 vehicles] per day." The vehicle movements during the year would only be 234, the consent application stated, to remove 1000 cubic metres of basalt.

The council opted to notify the consent.

A neighbour of the quarry site has already written to the council with concerns, stating that a log of truck movements should be kept for the council.

"Monitoring by the TDC has been a weakness of the Rooney/Bluestone operation," farmer Peter Porter submitted.

He also proposed that the applicant be limited to 111 trucks per annum or to the carriage of 1000 cubic metres of basalt rock.

"There are already the Rhodes and Rooney quarries. If you grant consent to O'Neill, there will be three quarries in a Rural 1, within about 5km of each other.

"At what point is your District Plan so compromised that you have to rezone and permit quarrying as a permitted use? Expect widespread opposition to that," Mr Porter wrote.